Hybrid Tesla-Pelton Wheel Disc Turbine

ABSTRACT

Utility Model Patent for a hybrid turbine that consists in a Tesla turbine improved with the replacement partial or total of its smooth discs by innovative discs called ‘Pelton type discs ( 2 )’. The parts of the Tesla turbine are: stator, shaft, inlet, exhaust outlet ( 4 ) and smooth discs ( 2 ). The disc ( 2 ) with an innovative format, object of this patent, owns the characteristics of the Pelton Wheel, once it owns cavities ( 1 ) that are hit by the working fluid. The ‘Pelton type’ discs ( 2 ) have as purpose to increase the torque provided by the shaft of the turbine and it is an improvement of the Tesla turbine that makes it useful for many applications and improve its efficiency in applications which demands bigger torque that furnished by the original Tesla turbine. The proportion between ‘Pelton type’ discs ( 2 ) and smooth discs, used in the turbine, defines the increase of torque. The Hybrid Tesla-Pelton Wheel can be used like a pump, compressor or vacuum pump if operates in reverse way, that means, the working fluid goes into the openings near the centre ( 3 ) of the discs ( 2 ) and goes out at the ends of the discs ( 2 ) (effect that is obtained turning the shaft by a motor).

The present Utility Model Patent has the objective to improve the so called Disk Turbine or Tesla Turbine with an innovative change, based in the Pelton Wheel, that adds more torque to become viable its use, and to improve its efficiency in such applications that require the drive through power to be supplied by a shaft and demand a high torque, such as electric generators, high speed drill machines, automotive vehicles, planes, centrifuges, etc (The Tesla turbine is a motor, that means, a source of mechanical motion). The hybrid Tesla-Pelton Wheel turbine that results from the improvement, object of this patent, as well as the 10 original Tesla turbine, can also be used as a pump or a compressor.

The Tesla Turbine and Compressor were patented in 1910 in England under number 24001 by Nikola Tesla and consist of parallel rotating discs assembled very closed to one another in a shaft. In the case of the Tesla Turbine, the discs moves due to the flow of the working fluid through them, causing the phenomenon of adherence of the fluid to the surface of the disc, known as “non-slipping” condition, that makes the disk reach the speed of the fluid and to turn the shaft. The objective of the Tesla Turbine is to turn the shaft to produce mechanic power for any purpose. Due to the working principle of the Tesla Turbine mentioned above, the working fluid needs to have a pressure over the atmospheric pressure to push the working fluid through, from the end of the discs to their centre, through an exhaust port, and to the atmosphere. The fluid is accelerated by an injector before going into the turbine. It is possible to use any pressured fluid, such as compressed air, steam and combustion gas, or a mix of them. In the case of the Tesla Pump or Compressor, the machine is similar, but works in inverse mode, that means, the pumped or compressed fluid goes into the inlet near the centre of the discs and is exhausted at the end of the disks. The pumping (or compression) is obtained by turning the shaft and occurs due to the same adhesive effect of the fluid to the surface of the discs, as described previously. The shaft can be turned by any motor or even a Tesla turbine.

The properties of the Tesla turbine that distinguishes it from the other types of turbines and motors are: its simplicity of construction, low cost, high efficiency and ability to operate with water steam generated by any type of fuel, renewable or fossil, or any source of heat.

The Pelton Wheel was developed in the mid 1880's by L. Pelton and it has been used in water falls to produce electrical energy. It is a wheel mounted in a shaft which has blades in its edge that are hit by the water falling against them, thus producing the rotation of the wheel and shaft. Its principle of working consists in transferring the cinematic energy from the fluid to the blades by impulsion. The rotating shaft is used to run, for example, electric generators, saws, etc.

In spite of the good qualities of the Tesla turbine mentioned, there are no viable and massive commercial applications. A disadvantage of the Tesla turbine compared to other machines is its high speed but low torque, becoming difficult to use it as a source of power to electric generators, vehicles, etc.

Considering this problem and with the purpose of solving it, a way to increase the torque supplied by the Tesla turbine it has been proposed, object of this patent, which is to use discs in the Tesla turbine which supplies bigger torque than the smooth discs of the original Tesla turbine. These discs constitute an invention and they are based in the principle of working of the Pelton The adhesive effect of the fluid to the disc surface, also occurs in this new disc system, such as it occurs in the smooth discs used originally in the Tesla turbine (adhesive effect of the boundary layer). This sum of principles on the same disc facilitates its insertion in the Tesla turbine, although the principle of working of the Pelton Wheel is more important.

FIG. 1 shows the side view of the original Tesla turbine.

FIG. 2 shows the frontal view of the original Tesla turbine.

FIG. 3 presents the side of the disc which has cavities such as the characteristics of the Pelton Wheel.

FIG. 4 presents the smooth side of the disc with the characteristics of the Pelton Wheel.

FIG. 1 presents the side view of the original Tesla turbine, that consists of smooth parallel discs 1 mounted very near in a shaft 2, spaces among the discs 3, the stator 4 which is a closed stationary cylinder that houses the discs, by bearings 5, shaft seal 6 and by the disc exhaust ports 7 for the working fluid, located in the centre of the discs 5, near the shaft, where the working fluid flows into the atmosphere.

The Hybrid Tesla-Pelton Wheel Turbine is similar to the Tesla turbine, except for its discs, that are all or in part replaced by the new discs that have characteristics of the Pelton Wheel, which we will call from this point forward “Pelton type discs” to make it easy.

FIG. 2 shows the frontal view of the original Tesla turbine and the spiral path 1 that the working fluid goes along on the face of the smooth disc 2 used in the original Tesla turbine. The working fluid is injected in the tangent of the end of the disc 3 and due to the difference of pressure between the end of the disc and its centre (where there is an exhaust port 4 to the atmosphere) it takes a free and spiral moving toward the centre. The disc 2, originally conceived to be used in the Tesla turbine, has two smooth faces.

The “Pelton type” disc takes up the same place of the original smooth disc of the Tesla turbine and it has a similar exhaust port so that it can be compatible with the others discs used in the Hybrid Tesla-Pelton Wheel Turbine.

FIG. 3 presents the side that has cavities 1 of the “Pelton type” disc 2, which its conception is an innovation and it is the object of this patent, based in the principles of the Pelton Wheel . It shows also its assembly together with others discs of the same type. The cavity has the purpose to resist the free flow of the fluid to result pressure and impulsion on it so that it moves the shaft of the turbine. The path of the working fluid in each cavity is shown in FIG. 3 by arrows 3 indicating the admission of the fluid into the disc and its way out to the atmosphere through the exhaust port 4. The opening in the centre of the disc 5 is filled by the shaft.

The geometry and dimensions of the cavities and the number of them in the “Pelton type” disc are any. It can, for example, have an elliptical geometry like shown in FIG. 3, a circular one or any another geometry, since it supplies the effect of impulsion on the cavity. Both the phenomena, that means, adherence of the fluid to the surface of the disc (characteristic of the Tesla turbine) and impulsion (characteristic of the Pelton Wheel), takes place in the cavities.

The number of discs used in a turbine like its dimensions (be “Pelton type” or smooth discs) vary depending on the power that one wishes to obtain from the turbine. It means that increasing the number of discs and/or their dimensions increase the power supplied by the turbine. These construction parameters like others ones are common to both original Tesla and Hybrid Tesla-Pelton Wheel turbines; Thus the turbines are differentiated by the insertion of the “Pelton type” discs into the Tesla Turbine and, consequently the increase of the torque.

FIG. 4 shows the smooth side 1 of the “Pelton type” disc 2 assembled together with other discs of the same type. As shown in FIG. 4, joining the side of the “Pelton type” disc, which have cavities, and the smooth side of another “Pelton type” disc, these cavities become some ducts 3 by where the working fluid enters and goes through, from the end of the discs to the exhaust ports 4, near the centre of the disc where it exits to the atmosphere.

The jet fluid which goes into the discs compresses the cavity before 10 going out by the exhaust ports in the same way that occurs when a spray of water hits on the blades of the Pelton Wheel. It is also possible to mount the “Pelton type” disc joint together a disc with both smooth faces (discs used in the original Tesla turbine). One must note that in the walls of the duct (inside cavity), by which flows the fluid, occurs also the adherence effect of the fluid so that there are present the phenomena (or principles of working) of the Tesla turbine and the Pelton Wheel. The smooth side of the “Pelton type” disc, if not used to cover the cavity of another “Pelton type” disc, also presents the adherence effect like the smooth discs used originally in the Tesla turbine.

The assembly of a turbine with only “Pelton type” discs also results in a Hybrid Tesla-Pelton turbine, because it mixes the two principles of working in a single disc.

The mixture of “Pelton type” discs with the smooth discs used in the original Tesla turbine allows to change the proportion between speed and torque, that means, more “Pelton type” discs increase torque and reduce speed and vice versa. This property allows the designer to adapt the turbine to the applications.

In the case of the “Hybrid Tesla-Pelton Wheel” Pump or Compressor, the machine is similar to the Tesla Pump or Compressor, except by the discs that are all or partially replaced by the new “Pelton type” discs. The operation occurs in the reverse way of the turbine, that means, the fluid to be pumped or compressed goes into the admission inlet near the centre of the disc (used as an exhaust port by Tesla turbine) and exits at the end of the discs. The pumping (or compression) effect is obtained by turning the shaft and occurs due to the sum of the two effects, that means, the adherence effect of the fluid to the surfaces of the discs (together with centrifugal forces, like in the Tesla Pump or Compressor) and the transfer of cinematic energy from the disc to the working fluid, once the cavities pushes the fluid. The spin of the shaft can be obtained by using any motor or even a Tesla turbine. 

1) “Hybrid Tesla-Pelton Wheel Turbine”: it joints together in the same turbine the principle of working of the Tesla turbine, witch is run by the phenomenon of adherence of the working fluid to the surface of the discs and the principle of working of the Pelton Wheel , which is run by the transfer of cinematic energy from the fluid to the blades by hitting the cavities of the blades. The Hybrid turbine is characterized by the replacement of part or all the discs of the Tesla turbine by innovative discs with the characteristics of the Pelton Wheel, allowing to joint together the two principles in the same turbine, thus resulting in an improvement of the Tesla turbine, because it increases the torque, thus improving its efficiency in application that demands bigger torque than that furnished by the original Tesla turbine, and becoming viable its. The proportion between “Pelton type” discs and smooth discs, used in the turbine, defines the increase of torque. 2) Discs with the principle of working similar to the Pelton Wheel according to the request 1 characterized by owing cavities that are compressed by the working fluid, generating impulsion in the disc, like in the Wheel. The “Pelton type” disc consists of a side that has cavities and by another smooth. By jointing together the side of the disc with has cavities with the smooth side of another disc, the cavities become ducts by where flows the working fluid. The geometry and dimensions of the cavity and the number of cavities are any. Its possible, for example, to have a elliptical geometry, a circular one, a spiral one or any other geometry, since it provides the impulsion effect on the cavity. 3) Utilization of the Hybrid Tesla-Pelton Wheel Turbine, according to the request 1, in applications like “Hybrid Tesla-Pelton Wheel” Pump or Compressor characterized by the use of “Hybrid Tesla-Pelton Wheel” turbine in the reverse way, that means, by the admission of the fluid through the openings near the centre of the discs and by the exhaustion through the end of the discs. The pumping (or compression) is obtained by turning the shaft and occurs due to the sum of the two effects, i.e. the effect of adherence of the fluid to the surfaces of the discs (together with centrifugal forces, like in the Tesla Pump or Compressor) and the effect of transferring the cinematic energy from the disk to the working fluid, caused by the movement of the cavities that pushes the fluid. The spin of the shaft can be obtained by any motor or even a Tesla turbine 